>Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#303 & #304)

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#303 (upper photo, on my way to work in the morning)…A canvas book bag containing books and writing implements, a plastic bucket containing 4 lbs. of raw whole wheat bread dough, a joke book with more than 1000 jokes, the New Yorker Magazine’s 2010 food issue.

#304 (lower photo, on my way home in the early evening)…A canvas bag containing books and writing implements, a plastic bag containing a few tools, an empty plastic bucket, a cardboard box containing 3 freshly baked loaves of whole wheat bread. 

Sidewalk Graffiti; Two Images, Similar View

I walked today because it was so incredibly windy (something like 60mph/96kph wind gusts). Actually I did ride this morning for a bit on my folder but it was difficult…thought it might be fun to put a sail on it. Anyhow, as always, in the same way that you get to notice more things when you are riding a bike than when driving in a car it is even more magnified when you walk. I past these two bits of sidewalk graffiti only about a block apart and thought they were interesting enough to post. There could be many interpretations of these, I suppose…I’d be curious to what you think.

>Sidewalk Graffiti; Two Images, Similar View

>I walked today because it was so incredibly windy (something like 60mph/96kph wind gusts). Actually I did ride this morning for a bit on my folder but it was difficult…thought it might be fun to put a sail on it. Anyhow, as always, in the same way that you get to notice more things when you are riding a bike than when driving in a car it is even more magnified when you walk. I past these two bits of sidewalk graffiti only about a block apart and thought they were interesting enough to post. There could be many interpretations of these, I suppose…I’d be curious to what you think.

A Deflated Situation, a Built-In Tire Jack, and a Question to other Yuba Mundo Riders

So there I was a few days ago pedaling along on my way to church on Easter Sunday when I noticed it was getting a little difficult to pedal. Odd, I thought…no wind to speak of; no incline. Then I felt the tell-tale sway and heard the sound of a deflating tire sagging against the pavement. I haven’t had a tire go flat on me while I was riding a bike in quite a while (it’s more common, I believe to find them flat after letting them rest awhile). I got off the bike and pushed it the remaining 100 feet or so to church,  and afterwards I pushed it about a half mile to a gas station and purchased a can of emergency tire inflation/sealant hoping it would hold enough to make it the two miles home…it did, but barely. This is the second flat I’ve had on the Mundo in the 3 years I’ve owned them (one on the v1, and this one on the v3) and I’ve come to the conclusion that while I really love this bike it also really sucks to get a flat tire on a 60lb. bike. At any rate, I survived. And on the bright side, one thing I noticed is that the stand alone kickstand acts as a sort of built in jack for the bike (pictured above)…I didn’t need to support it or lean it against anything as I changed the tire. Nice.

I still have the original tires on the bike and am thinking about upgrading. So my question to fellow Mundo riders (or any bicyclist for that matter) is actually twofold. First, what type/brand tires do you use. I’m thinking about purchasing Fat Franks (do any of you use these), and I’m also thinking about increasing the tire width from 2.0 to 2.35. any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

>A Deflated Situation, a Built-In Tire Jack, and a Question to other Yuba Mundo Riders

>

So there I was a few days ago pedaling along on my way to church on Easter Sunday when I noticed it was getting a little difficult to pedal. Odd, I thought…no wind to speak of; no incline. Then I felt the tell-tale sway and heard the sound of a deflating tire sagging against the pavement. I haven’t had a tire go flat on me while I was riding a bike in quite a while (it’s more common, I believe to find them flat after letting them rest awhile). I got off the bike and pushed it the remaining 100 feet or so to church,  and afterwards I pushed it about a half mile to a gas station and purchased a can of emergency tire inflation/sealant hoping it would hold enough to make it the two miles home…it did, but barely. This is the second flat I’ve had on the Mundo in the 3 years I’ve owned them (one on the v1, and this one on the v3) and I’ve come to the conclusion that while I really love this bike it also really sucks to get a flat tire on a 60lb. bike. At any rate, I survived. And on the bright side, one thing I noticed is that the stand alone kickstand acts as a sort of built in jack for the bike (pictured above)…I didn’t need to support it or lean it against anything as I changed the tire. Nice.

I still have the original tires on the bike and am thinking about upgrading. So my question to fellow Mundo riders (or any bicyclist for that matter) is actually twofold. First, what type/brand tires do you use. I’m thinking about purchasing Fat Franks (do any of you use these), and I’m also thinking about increasing the tire width from 2.0 to 2.35. any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

5 Quotes about Peak Oil, 4 Views from the Parking Lot, and 1 Quote about Bicycles

“There are few problems which have greater potential to quickly unsettle the North American public and strain essential services than suddenly being denied access to fuel.”
— Rick Munroe, from his article, “Fuel Emergency”

“Here in the United States we’re now consuming about three gallons of petroleum per person per day. That’s twenty pounds of oil per person per day. We only consume about four pounds of oxygen per person per day. We’re consuming five times more oil each day, here in the United States than we are oxygen. We’ve become the oil tribe.”
— Randy Udall, in the film Sprawling From Grace

“Oil depletion and climate change will create an entirely new context in which political struggles will be played out. Within that context, it is not just freedom, democracy, and equality that are at stake, but the survival of billions of humans and of whole ecosystems.”
— Richard Heinberg, Powerdown

“The real problem is that we use too much oil. It’s that simple and that difficult. If we truly want to reduce our vulnerability to high prices, the best way to do so is to reduce consumption.”
— Richard Heinberg, author of Peak Everything

“I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”
— Thomas Edison, 1931

The bicycle is the most civilized conveyance known to man.  Other forms of transport grow daily more nightmarish.  Only the bicycle remains pure in heart.  

~Iris Murdoch

>5 Quotes about Peak Oil, 4 Views from the Parking Lot, and 1 Quote about Bicycles

>

“There are few problems which have greater potential to quickly unsettle the North American public and strain essential services than suddenly being denied access to fuel.”
— Rick Munroe, from his article, “Fuel Emergency”

“Here in the United States we’re now consuming about three gallons of petroleum per person per day. That’s twenty pounds of oil per person per day. We only consume about four pounds of oxygen per person per day. We’re consuming five times more oil each day, here in the United States than we are oxygen. We’ve become the oil tribe.”
— Randy Udall, in the film Sprawling From Grace

“Oil depletion and climate change will create an entirely new context in which political struggles will be played out. Within that context, it is not just freedom, democracy, and equality that are at stake, but the survival of billions of humans and of whole ecosystems.”
— Richard Heinberg, Powerdown

“The real problem is that we use too much oil. It’s that simple and that difficult. If we truly want to reduce our vulnerability to high prices, the best way to do so is to reduce consumption.”
— Richard Heinberg, author of Peak Everything

“I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”
— Thomas Edison, 1931

The bicycle is the most civilized conveyance known to man.  Other forms of transport grow daily more nightmarish.  Only the bicycle remains pure in heart.  

~Iris Murdoch

A Message of Hope

Ok, firstly, I found this short movie (25 minutes) to be extremely moving and inspiring. It may be a bit too “new age-y” for some, but if you have an open mind (obvious pun) I recommend you watch it. It’s a film about meditation and our collective consciousness and how everything we do individually effects everything else. I came across it at the blog, Mein Yuba Mundo, fellow blogger and Yuba rider in Germany (danke Stefan!). You can also view it here, at its original location.

And no, the below quote was not planned to the previous post…just a coincidence. It is one of many inspiring quotes that was used in the film so I thought I’d include it as a sort of teaser to the film itself. Anyhow, if you’ve 25 minutes to spare, and are looking for an inspiring short movie, I hope you’ll watch this. Now if you’ll excuse me I think I should go meditate.

“A human being is a part of a whole, called by us _universe_, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest… a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” 
Albert Einstein.

>A Message of Hope

>Ok, firstly, I found this short movie (25 minutes) to be extremely moving and inspiring. It may be a bit too “new age-y” for some, but if you have an open mind (obvious pun) I recommend you watch it. It’s a film about meditation and our collective consciousness and how everything we do individually effects everything else. I came across it at the blog, Mein Yuba Mundo, fellow blogger and Yuba rider in Germany (danke Stefan!). You can also view it here, at its original location.

And no, the below quote was not planned to the previous post…just a coincidence. It is one of many inspiring quotes that was used in the film so I thought I’d include it as a sort of teaser to the film itself. Anyhow, if you’ve 25 minutes to spare, and are looking for an inspiring short movie, I hope you’ll watch this. Now if you’ll excuse me I think I should go meditate.

“A human being is a part of a whole, called by us _universe_, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest… a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” 
Albert Einstein.

Five Quotes from Albert Einstein

Yes, I know it is actually 6 quotes–counting the one in the below image–but I find them all inspiring. For more quotes from Einstein, click here.

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” 

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction.”  


“Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.” 

“The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible.” 

“My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.”

This image was found here.

>Five Quotes from Albert Einstein

>

Yes, I know it is actually 6 quotes–counting the one in the below image–but I find them all inspiring. For more quotes from Einstein, click here.

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” 

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction.”  


“Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.” 

“The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible.” 

“My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.”

This image was found here.